Brake mechanism



5. F. ARBUCKLE BRAKE MECHANISM Aug. 13; 1940.

Original Fil ed Dec. 22, 1952 IIIIIIIA Zig y/ 4444 ATTORNEYS.

Patented Aug. 13, 1940 I UNITED STATES 1 BRAKE MEG HANISM Samuel F. Arbuckle, Highland Park,Mich., as-

signor to S. F. Arbuckle Corporation, Detroit, Mich.,' a corporation of Delaware Original application I December 22, 1932, Serial No. 648,510, now Patent ,No. 2,079,588, dated May 11, 1937.

9 Claims.

This invention-relates" to brake mechanism and more especially to mechanism of this character which employs suction actuated means for aiding In the application of brakes. ,This invention is an improvement on the construction shown in Letters Patent of the United States No. 1,908,214 for Brake mechanism, issued May 9, 1933, 'to the present applicant and Andrew L. Vargha, and

Letters Patent of the United States No. 1,834,368

for Brake mechanism, issued to the present ape plicant, December 1, 1931, and is a, division of my co-pending application Serial No. 648,510, filed December 22, 1932, for Brake mechanism, issued May 11, 1937, as Patent No. 2,079,588.

The principal object of the present invention is to improve the construction and control of brake mechanism of the above character.

Another object is;to provide, in combination with a brake system and booster mechanism therefonmeans controlled by suitable operation of the brake pedal for varying the amount of brake pressure which the booster mechanism may exert upon the brake system and-pressure responsive means controlled independently of movement of the brake pedal forlimiting the amount of such braking pressure. I

Another object is to provide. automaticallyad-. justed means and adjustable pressure responsive means independent of the automatically adjusted means for controlling and limiting the effective 0 power application of vvacuum operated brakes.

Other objects, features and advantages will become apparent from the following description and appended claims taken inconnection with the accompanying drawing in which,.for the purpose of illustrating the genus of the invention, a concrete embodiment is depicted. In the drawing; I ,7 40 Figure 1 is a more or less diagrammatic perspective of' a, portion of an automotive vehicle chassis showing the application of a booster mechanismand control apparatus therefor as applied to a hydraulic braking system;

Fig. 2 is a more or less diagrammatic vertical section of the booster mechanism and control ap paratus therefor shown in Fig. 1, and

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken longitudinally through the center of a manually controlled member for limiting the effect'of pressure which may be applied by the booster mechanism and accordingly limiting the effective power which may be applied by the hydraulic brake system.

In. the application of power operated brake mechanisms to motor vehicles, it-is desirable to Divided and this application March 25, 1937, Serial N0. 132,951

permit the maximum braking efiort which may be applied by the braking means to be easily and quickly varied, whereby an excess of power application of the brakes will be prevented under coriditions where such excessive application is hazardous, such as, for example, 'on wet or icy surfaces. The present invention contemplates the provision of a manually controlled mechanism Whereby'the maximum pressure which may be exerted by a vacuum or suction operated booster mechanism on a hydraulic braking system may be easily and quickly adjusted so as to prevent the wheels from locking under varying conditions of road surface. The invention further contemplates the provision of means for utilizing the highervalues of vacuum developed in the engine intakemanifold in the operation and control of the booster system employed in conjunction with the hydraulicbraking system and further contemplates the provision'of. means for. limiting the application of the power actuated braking means so arranged as to provide quick action of such limiting and controlling means.

Referring to the drawing, and particularly to Figs; 1 and 2 there is shown the preferred arrangement of the present invention as employed in connection with a hydraulic braking system for motor vehicle. In these figures, conventional motor vehicle chassis frame I40 is provided with the .usual wheels I4I. Mounted upon the eng ne transmission housing I42, or upon another suitable base or support, is a cylinder I43 usuallyknown as the master cylinder, in which is received the piston I44 which is connected by a link I45 to the brake pedal I46 suitably mounted ,upon the shaft M! for oscillating movement. The master cylinder I43, which may be of any conventionaldesign, is connected through tubes, such as I48, to the brake mechanism, indicated generally at I49 and mounted for cooperation with eachof the wheels MI. The brake mechanism I49 may take any of the conventional formsof mechanism usually employed for braking purposes. In conventional operation, when it is desired to apply the brakes, the foot pedal I46 is depressed thereby moving the piston I44 in cylinder I43 and causing the liquid therein to be forced through the tubes I48 to the various brakemechanisms I49 and there to apply pressure for causing application of thebrake mechanisms.

In the conventional hydraulic brake system it will be possible to apply to these various mechanisms I49 pressure proportional to the pressures I that are applied to the foot pedal I46, the presinder pedal I46 are necessarily limited to the strength and the efiort exerted by the operator of the vehicle, and where such hydraulic brake systems are applied to motor vehicles of the truck or bus type, it is usually desirable, in order to obtain the braking effect desired, to provide means for applying a greater pressure to the liquid of the brake system than is possible solely by foot pressure, Accordingly, the so-called vacuum booster mechanism may be employed to assist in theapplication of the brake mechanism.

This booster mechanism preferably includes a cylinder l55which may be suitably mounted on the chassis frame M0, or other suitable base or support, and in which cylinder a piston I56 is received. The piston I56 may be connected by a link such as I51 and a lever 558 to a cross-shaft such as 58 at its end in the opposite sides of the frame of the chassis 540. The shaft I59 is in turn connected to the pedal I46 through a lever arm I65 and a link I6I. The interior of the cyl- I55 communicates through the conduits I 62 and 63 with the interior of the intake manifold 3| of the internal. combustion engine 32 which forms the motive power unit of the vehicle. A valve mechanism is inserted between the conduits I62 and I63 in order to control the application of the suction from the intake manifold to the vacuum actuated cylinder I55. This valve is shown in detail in Fig. 2 and comprises a housing l65 carriedon an extension I66 of the foot pedal M6, and in housing I65 and such extension !66, a valve member I61 is slidably received. The extension I66 is provided with openings I68, I69 and I10, the opening I69 communicating directly with the conduit I62, the opening I10 communicating directly with the conduit I63, and the opening I68 communicating directly with the atmosphere. The valve member I61 has a recess Ill in its lower side which, in the illustrated position of the valve member, bridges the openings E66 and I 69 so as to connect the interior of the cylinder I55 with the atmosphere when the valve member is in such unoperated position, the communication through the valve being cut off at this time at the opening I10. Sliding movement of the valve member I61 is controlled by a pad member I12 pivotally mounted on the foot pedal I46 at I13 and which pad is also pivotally connected at I14 with a link I15 which in turn is pivotally attached to the valve member I61 at pivot I16.

The pad I12 may be rocked about the pivot !13 independently of the movement of the foot pedal I46 to control the application of the booster mechanism through suitable movement of the valve member I61. When the pad is rotated in a counter-clockwise direction from the position shown in Fig. 2, the valve member I61 is moved to an operating position in which the recess I1I bridges the openings I69 and I10, and thus connects the interior of the cylinder I 55 with the source of suction 3|, the valve member I61 cut ting oif communication with atmosphere at such time by blocking the opening I68. Evacuation of the vacuum actuated power cylinder I55 causes the piston I56 to approach the closed end of the cylinder and the piston, acting through the link I51, lever arm I58, shaft I59, lever arm I60, and link I6I moves the foot pedal I46 towards brakeapplying position. The braking power developed by the suction or partial vacuum in the intake manifold may be augmentedby manually pressingthe brake pedal I46 forwardly. When the brake pedal is released and the pad is rotated to its initial position, as illustrated in Fig. 2, the brake pedal moved to its normal rearward position to which it has been returned partly by the pressure'in the hydraulic system and partially by a spring .I'I'I which is secured at one end to the frame of the chassis I and at its other end to the lever I58. The return movement of the pad I 12 shifts the valve member I61 to an inoperative position so that the recess I1I again bridges the openings I69 and I68 thereby admitting air at atmospheric pressure into the vacuum actuated power cylinder I55, the valve member I61 blockingthe opening I10 at this time In order to prevent an excessive applicationof the .boostenmechanism to the hydraulic braking system and to control the amount of force exerted by the booster mechanism upon the hydraulic sys- 'tem relative-to the extent that the brake pedal is depressed,- the following mechanism is provided. The small housing I80 is connected into the suction line I63 between the cylinder I and the intake manifoldiflt While this, housing might be connected into the suction lines at any point, it is preferably disposed in the suction line I63 point adjacent the intake manifold M so that the action ofthe valve means disposed in suclrhousing will be quick and constant. This housing is providedwith an opening IBI leading to the atmosphere, and between the opening IBI and the point of entrance of the suction line I63 into the housingfa valve seat I82 is formed. The

valve I83 is adapted to engage the valve seat I82 and is provided with an upwardly extending stem E84,. Adjacent its top, the stem is provided with a collar I85 secured against relative axial movement to the stem. The coil spring I81 encircles lthe 'stem I84. and is held under compression between the washer I86 and a second washer, I08 encircling the stem I84 but freely slidable in an axial direction thereon. The compression of the spring I61 controls the point at which the suction within the tube I63 will cause the valve I86 to open, and when the, valve I83 does open, air will be drawn into the housing through the opening I8I and thereby prevent a higher degree of suction from being built up in the tube I63, thus limiting the degree of suction that may be applied to the vacuum actuated power cylinder I55.

The force exerted by the spring I81 in holding the valve I83against its seat. I82 is controlled in accordance with theextent of depression of the pedal I46 in the following manner. A bracket I89 is formed on'the housing I80 and has pivotally connected thereto by means of a pin I90, a bell crank lever having a horizontally extending arm I9I, and a vertically extending arm I92. The free end of the arm I9I is provided with an upper curved face and is formed so as to receive the stem I84 within it, the upper curved face serving as a stop for limiting the downward movement of the washer I88 of the valve stem I84. The free end of the vertically extending arm I92 of the bell crank is connected by means of a rod I83 to the end of the downwardly extending arm N8 of the pedal I46. The rod I93 preferably includes a turnbuckle I94 for adjustably controlling 2,211,043 lthe 'efiective length of'the rodl93. It will be apparent that in this'construction',"the farther the pedal I46 is depressed; the higher the washer consequently, may control the amount of braking action.

It is also desirable that meansoperable in 'response to pressure developed within the hydraulic system be provided. whereby excessive pressure within said hydraulic system will causethe admission of air to the suction system of the'booster mechanism and relieve the application'of the booster mechanism upon thebraking system. It is also desired that the pressure within the hydraulic system which will cause such admission of air will also varyin accordancewith the extent of pedal depression- .To this end, the housing I95 is provided, the interior of which is connected to the tube I96 and to this tube with the interior of the tube I48 in which the fluid employed in the brake. operating mechanism flows. The housing I95 is provided with an open end through which is inserted an expansible and contractible member I91, preferably in the form of a metallic bellows as illustrated. This bellows isprovidedwith an outwardly extending flange I98 at its open end, which is clamped to the housing I95 through a ring clamp I99 and thereby acts to shield the open. end of the housing I95.- Theolosed ends of the bellows I91 is provided with a downwardly depending stem 299 which terminates at a point adjacent but in slightly spaced relationshipwith respect to the collar I85 provided on the stem I84 of valve I83. q I,

In the above construction it will be' apparent that the forces tending tomove the valve I83 downwardly and thereby admit air intothe-vacuum system of the booster mechanism will be the vacuum pressure built up in the suction line I63 and the positive pressure developed within the pressure lin'e I48 of the hydraulic braking system; The forces tending to oppose opening of the valve I83 will be the spring I81, the compression of which varies in accordance withtheextent of depression of pedal I46, the tendency of the metallic bellows I91 to' maintain its extended position due to atmospheric pressure within its inner surface and the inherent tendency of the metallic bellows I91 to remain. in that extended position. Thus, to open the valve I83, the suction within the line I63 must attaina sufiici'ently low value, or the pressure within the fluid-pressureline must reach a' certain positive value, or both, in order to overcome the metallic bellows and the spring I81 on simply the 'compression 'of the spring I81 in the condition of compression to which it has been placed by the 'depression'of the pedal I46. The compression of spring I81, as previously pointed out, may be adjusted by means of the turnbuckle 194. i

It is also desired to provide in the present construction means for limiting the maximum available braking effort which maybe applied by the booster mechanism, andjsuch means is to be made adjustable and readilycontrollable by the driver from his normal driving position. .To this end, a suction operated valveis connected by a "conduit 20I' to th'e' 'suction line IE3 at a po'int' r eratively close to theintakemanifold '3I. A check 'valve'81 is disposed between'theconnection of the conduit 2III and the conduit' I63 to maintain the vacuum within the suction line of the booster mechanism at values corresponding to or approaching the higher degrees of vacuum devel-' oped within the intake manifold 3I. The construction of the suction operated valve is shown in detail in Fig. 3. The suction operated regulatingvalve is mounted On the instrument panel, dash, or other suitable supporting surface 69 of a motor vehicle, in a position such that it isreadily accessible to the driver. 'In the'preferred con- 'struction of this valve, a flange-like member TI is provided with a rearwardly extending'body' 12 at the forward end of which is formed an opening 13 which opens on the face of J the flange portion 1'I a sleeve 14 provided with a handle'15. being rotatably' received in the forward end of such body portion 12. Axially directed slotsare removed from diametrically opposed portions or the wall of the body 12 surrounding the" opening 13 and a sleeve 16 is disposed in the opening 13. Theforward end-of this sleeve-threadablyengages the inner surface of the sleeve portion '14. The sleeve 16 is provided with a pair of outwardly projecting fingers 11 arranged in said axially die =rected slots in the body 12 which prevents rotation of the sleeve 16 in the opening 13, said fingers also serving as an abutmentiorthe spring 18 which is held under compression between such abutment andtheshoulder formed by cutting a'waya portion of the wall of the body portion 12. Thus, by turning the. handle '15,. thesleeve '16 is caused to move axiallyeither'one way orthe other, depending upon thedire'ction of rotation of the handle 15. The rear'end of the body portion 12 .is provided with a chamber 19 formed by drilling out the same'and then plugging the end thereof. The chamberf19 may be connected bya fitting 80 and conduit2IlI with the suctionline I63 extending between the brake applying cyli nder I of the booster mechanism and ,thefsource of suction 3I, previously'described. The body 12 isgalso provided withna chamber ,82, communication betweenthe chamber 82 and the chamber 19 being normally cut off by the valve 83. The chamber 82 isconnected with, the atmosphere through passages 84. The stem of the valve 83 slidably extends into the opening 13 through the closed end of the sleeve-16 andis provided at its freeend with a nut85. A coil spring 86 is held under compression about--the; valve'; stern;;;be tween the nut 85 and the closed end of sleeve 16. When the'suction within the conduit 20I and suction line I63;.becomes sufficiently great, the valve 83 is lifted'fromits seat, thereby admitting air into the conduit 20! through the passages 84 and the chambers 82 and 19, preventing greater suction from beingobtained than that forwhich the regulatingvalve isset. The degree of suction necessary to lift the valve 83 from its seat is, of course, controlled by the compression of the spring 86 andth' is compression is, in turn, controlled by the relative disposition of the closed end of the sleeve 16 with respect to the nut 85.

Inasmuch as this relative position oftheclosed end of the sleeve 16 is controlled by the rotative position of the handle 15, it is readily apparent that by rotating the handle 15, "the'degreeof valve 83 to unseat at a relativelysmall degree of suction in the conduit Zlll and suction line 163, and thereby limit the amount of force exerted by the booster mechanism upon the hydraulic brake system, such as, for instance, that amountcommensurate with that necessary to apply the brake of amotor vehicle on an icy pavement without causing the wheels to slide. Conversely, if the handle is rotated in the reverse direction,the spring 86 will be placed under a greater compression which will consequently cause a greater degree of suction to be built up in the conduit 2M and the suction line I63 before the valve 83 lifts andlimits the degree of suction which may be built up in the booster mechanism. In this manner the effective braking eifort which may be applied by the hydraulic braking system may be easily, quickly, and readily controlled by simply rotating the handle 15 to the desired po-- sition and the braking efiort of the hydraulic brake system may be varied to correspond with the condition of the road surface over which the vehicle may be traveling. I

As many changes may be made in the above constructions and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be had without departing from the spirit thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative andnot in a limiting sense.

What is claimed is:

1. In -combination with a hydraulic braking system, a booster mechanism operativelyconnected to said system, an operating valve means including a second valve for limiting the amount of force applicable by said booster mechanism to said hydraulic braking system, means r'esponsive to pressures developed in the hydraulic braking system for moving saidsecond valve, and a third valve in said booster mechanism operable independently of pressures developed in said hydraulic system for limiting the amount of force applicable by said booster mechanism.

'2. In combination with a hydraulic braking system, a booster mechanism operatively connected to said system, an operating valve means including a second valve for limiting the amount of force applicable by said booster mechanism to said hydraulic system, means responsive to pressures developed in the hydraulic system for moving said second valve, a third valve in said booster mechanism operable independently of pressures developed in said hydraulic system for limiting the amount of force applicable by said booster mechanism, and manually adjustable means disposed at a point remote from said second named valve for controlling the operation of said third valve.

3. In combination with a hydraulic braking system, a vacuum booster mechanism operatively connected to said system, an operating valve for controlling the application of said booster mechanism, a second valve operable by vacuum for limiting the degree of suction applicable to said booster mechanism, means responsive to the hybooster mechanism, a valve operatively connected to said booster mechanism and urged by thevacuum therein toward open position, aspringresisting opening movement of said valve, means for varying the action of said spring in accordance with the extent of depression of said pedal, means responsive to the hydraulic pressures in said system for rendering said spring ineffective to maintain said valve in closed condition, a second valve operatively connected in said booster mechanism for controlling the application thereof, said valve being urged by the vacuum developed in the booster mechanism to an open position, and means for controlling the operation of said second valve independently of the extent of depression of said pedal.

5. In combination with a hydraulic braking system, a vacuum boostermechanism operatively connected to said system, a source of vacuum, a conduit operatively connected to said source and to said booster mechanism, a valve in said conduit means including a second valve operable by vacuum conditions in said conduit for limiting the degree of Vacuum applicable to said booster mechanism, means responsive to the hydraulic pressures developed in said hydraulic system for controlling said second valve, a third valve communicating with the conduit for limiting the degree of vacuum applicable to said booster mechanism independently of pressures developed in said hydraulic system, and check valve means interposed between said source of vacuum and said valves for maintaining in said conduit higher degrees of vacuum developed in said source of vacuum.

6. In combination with a hydraulic braking system, a vacuum booster mechanism operatively connected to said system, a source of vacuum, a conduit operatively connecting said source to said booster mechanism, a valve in said conduit, a second valve in communication with said conduit and operable by vacuum conditions in said conduit for limiting the amount of force applicable by said booster mechanism to said hydraulic system, means responsive to pressure developed in said hydraulic system for moving said valve, a third valve in communication with said conduit and operable independently of pressures within the hydraulic system for limiting the amount of force applicable to said system by said booster mechanism, said third valve communicating with said conduit at a point close to said source of vacuum, and check valve means interposed in said conduit adjacent said source and between said third valve and said source of vacuum.

7. In combination with a hydraulic braking system, a vacuum booster mechanism for operating said braking system, a source of vacuum, a valve controlling the connection of said source to said mechanism, a regulating valve for limiting the degree of vacuum applied to said mechanism, means responsive to the degree of pressure applied to said braking system for opening said regulating valve, and manual means applied to said regulating valve for regulating the degree of pressure required to relieve said valve.

8. In combination with a hydraulic braking system, a vacuum booster mechanism for operat ing said braking system, a source of vacuum, a valve controlling the connection of said source to said mechanism, a regulating valve for limiting the degree of vacuum applied to said mechanism, means responsive to the degree of pressure ap plied to said braking system for opening said regulating valve, manual means applied to said said mechanism, means for relieving said source of vacuum upon the application of a predetermined applied pressure to said braking system, and additional means for relieving said source of vacuum when the pressure developed thereby 5 reaches a predetermined amount.

sAMUm, F. ARBUCKLE. 

